The technology of Skype was a much discussed topic in our class. For anyone who doesn't know already, Skype is a videochat service that allows users to view the person that they are speaking with from any location. Skype opens up a whole new world of possibilities. The best thing about it is the fact that it's free for anyone to use. Long distance phone calls can be very expensive, and you don't get to see the other person. Skype offers this without any cost. One example we discussed in class about how this could be used was the story of a soldier watching his baby being born through the use of Skype. This allowed him to be there, without actually being there. This is just one example of how beneficial this service is. It is also very helpful for companies to use for such things as business meetings. This saves on travel costs and time.
Another topic that was heavily discussed was the idea of social capital, also known as whuffie. This concept is about building a reputation of sorts through the use of social media. It is about helping others to develop trust in you and want to believe the things you say. This is a very helpful concept for businesses to become familiar with. Nowadays it is vital to have a strong presence on the Internet. Companies can promote upcoming sales and events, and really get people talking about a product or service. Some bloggers are even being paid to mention products in their posts. This is all about getting customers to do your advertising for you essentially. If you can get someone to say that they "like" your product or business on Facebook, this is basically like an advertisement to all of their family and friends who will see that they "like" this. This can of course lead to new customers. This is especially becoming more important when regular ads are becoming almost obsolete. I can't remember the last time I actually watched a commercial break. I either watch my shows online, or record them with my DVR and fast-forward through the commercials. Advertisers have to come up with new ways to reach their audiences, and doing so online is becoming the top way to do this.
One of the topics discussed in class was the way all this technology is affecting the world of journalism. I hadn't really thought much about it before this class. However, there are definitely some major changes going on. Newspapers are suffering. Hardly anyone buys a newspaper anymore, and with good reason. Most newspapers have an edition online that can be accessed for free, and it won't get ink all over your fingers! Also, this transition to online news has really changed the whole relationship between journalists and readers. It used to be a one-way interaction with journalists just spreading the news. Now it has become a two-way interaction where readers are able to reply to an article and leave their thoughts and opinions. This has really changed the world of news, and I am interested to see what changes will occur in the future.
There is just no way I could hit on everything that we talked about without creating a short novel! This means of course that I have learned a lot over the course of the semester. I really enjoyed the whole process that we went through to get to this point. Typically in other classes you read the book, listen to the teacher lecture, and take tests. This class was really more about hands on learning, and also peer-to-peer learning. Some of the concepts I read about were a little confusing, but after reading about it in my classmates blogs, it usually cleared things up for me. It was also just interesting to get different viewpoints on topics and look at things in a way I wouldn't have on my own. I also feel that I am a lot more prepared for my career. If my boss ever asked me to promote a product or event, I feel that the skills we have learned in 404 would really help me to do this successfully. Overall I enjoyed the class, and I enjoyed blogging. My posts may not be as professional or educational in the future, but I could definitely see continuing the blogging process.
